Kuminga: “we could do something special” + transcripts from Jimmy, Buddy, Kerr, Anthony Edwards

[G3-MIN-GSW videos/transcripts]

Trying out a new process, changing the identity of LetsGoWarriors, ha! 😜 Below are all the transcripts from 5/10/2025, pregame and postgame Game 3 Warriors-Timberwolves. The previous transcripts that were headlined with Steve Kerr’s Zoom call the day before Game 3, have now been unlocked.

All transcripts from Game 3 — Kerr, Jonathan Kuminga, Buddy Hield, Jimmy Butler and Anthony Edwards, Mike Conley and Julius Randle — are behind the paywall until I write the next article which will take the previous transcripts out of the paywall in that previous post.

As a bonus, I’ll be adding the 13-minute pregame with Kerr for free, i.e., not behind the paywall, later today Sun 5/11 — Happy Mother’s Day, everybody! So check back for that.

As for some quick revelations, Kuminga saying on the podium, “I think we could do something special here,” shows me there’s true belief behind those closed doors.

I feel like we are witnessing something that I’ve never seen done before: a team in the playoffs forced to change its identity on the fly, in the middle of a seven-game series.

As I said on the livestream, this reminds me of haphazardly cobbling a local rec league “all-star” team together last-minute to go play in a weekend tournament — something I did countless times as Commish of Dream League, in my previous life before I started LGW — but also without any scrimmages or opportunities to work the kinks out.

It’s damn near impossible to win this way, and yet Steve and Jimmy and Jonathan somehow only lost a Western Conference Semifinals game to a quality team, whose top two players shined, by 5 points — with Draymond Green playing, as my co-host Dean Chambers said, probably the worst playoff game Green has ever played.

Steve seems to think the Warriors are “really close, yeah, really,” so this is truly We Believe 2.0.

Like Buddy said, probably heavily influenced by one Wardell Stephen Curry behind closed doors, this is a “fun challenge”.

Sometimes where there’s a will, there’s a way.

And if they can pull this off, as I said on the livestream, even the most entitled of Curry stans need to finally give Kerr his flowers, similar to how the LeBron James stans had to give flowers to Steph for the 2022 title.

If they can pull this off, even the worst stand-up comedians who routinely throw players that they’re supposed to be rooting for under the bus, 280 characters at a time, need to finally come to grips that JK will get an offer of $30 million-ish per year come July.

00:00 Steve, you're up five with about eight minutes left. What did you see happening there down the stretch? Was it maybe a case you guys wearing out a little bit, after playing so hard for so long?

00:10 STEVE KERR, POSTGAME G3-MIN-GSW: Felt like a couple of offensive rebounds for them turned into threes. I think Edwards had one out of the corner, Reid. There was a big sequence where Jimmy had a shot at the rim, looked like he was gonna convert. It looked like he might've gotten fouled and then they went the other way, got an offensive board, and Reid hit the three from the corner. I thought that was the sequence that really shifted the game and the momentum, so 13 offensive boards for them, 26 points. That was a big factor in the fourth.

00:47 Draymond's six fouls obviously played a major factor and I think two of them were challenged, one by you, one by them, and then obviously the sixth one, late. What did you see there and just what'd you think of his game overall?

01:00 Yeah, we felt pretty strongly that the one on the — I think it was his fourth on the block, they called the block. It looked like Randle went through his chest and so we felt pretty good about challenging and plus it was his fourth, but obviously we didn't get the call and that's part of the game, but Randle was great and, yeah, the foul trouble and the sixth one was a tough one. That didn't feel great looking at the replay, but it is what it is and they outplayed us in the fourth and they deserved to win.

01:38 How would you describe Jimmy Butler's play tonight? He said if he needs to go score 40, he can, he might be able to do it. Did you see him carrying an extra load in this and what was up watching?

01:49 Oh man, Jimmy was incredible. I mean, he really controlled the game for us and put us in a position to win and we just couldn't close it out, but he was brilliant all night.

02:01 Did JK figure something out last game? Obviously, tonight he got 30 points.

02:05 I'm sorry.

02:05 Jonathan Kuminga, just what do you think of his performance tonight?

02:08 Oh, he was brilliant. JK played one of the best games of his life. It was fantastic to see and you can see how necessary he is in this matchup, especially without Steph we're having a tough time getting free and he's obviously capable of giving us some points getting to the rim and I thought he was fantastic. I've said it a couple times to you guys, I've just been impressed with the way he's handled things the last couple weeks with the way he's stayed ready and put in the work and it paid off tonight.

02:43 We know Brandin does so many things well, besides scoring. He led the team in rebounds tonight, but just how much. Do you need his offense and his scoring, especially with stuff out?

02:53 Well if things bounce the other way and we're in here with a win, nobody cares that he didn't score a lot, so when the game goes in one direction or the other, it's easy to — I kind of look at different stats for different things. Podziemski's not a big scorer. He's a basketball player. He does a lot of great things out there. Thought he played really well tonight. The shots didn't go, but I'm confident that they'll go in Game 4.

03:25 You mentioned pregame you have to win the game with your defense. Just overall, what'd you think about the collective team defense tonight?

03:30 Yeah, the team defense was really good. I mean we held them to 102. That's a pretty good number, but Randle and Edwards really both got going in the second half and that was the key. We couldn't quite contain them, especially in the fourth and that was the difference.

03:48 Steve, what's gonna have to go right for you on Monday to kind of make sure you don't go back to Minneapolis (down 3-1)?

03:57 Not that much, really. Like, we're right there. We feel great about our chances and this is what the playoffs are all about. There's these emotional swings and momentum shifts and we just gotta take tomorrow off and get the guys re refreshed, recharged, and come back in Monday.

04:17 And tee it up again.

04:18 Jimmy and Jonathan combined for 63 points. What did you think about them being on the floor together and complementing each other and each getting their attack?

04:26 Yeah, I mean, they played great. I mean, we had combinations out there that probably hadn't been out there the entire season, starting Trayce and playing the groups together that we did, but I think we found some good combinations and Jimmy and and Draymond were both fantastic and played, obviously, a lot of minutes together and did a great job.

04:49 You only got up 23 threes. I mean, obviously, no Steph creates issues there. I mean, are you just gonna have to find a way to create more or is this just almost the style you have to--

05:00 Yeah, I mean, it's hard to generate threes. I mean, you have to gain an advantage and get rotations and it's hard for us to do without Steph, without our point guard and in pick-and-rolls. And Jimmy obviously is creating plenty, but it's different. It's not the same level of stretching the defense out like Steph does and so we've gotta find ways to score more, to try to generate more shots and we'll look at the tape and figure that out.

05:38 Steve, you talked about looking for the formula without Steph, mixing and matching, and you guys have spent a lot of time on this. How close do you think you are — ?

05:47 Really close. Yeah. Really. I felt good about the way the game went tonight. We just couldn't close it out and, again, give them credit. They made all the plays in the fourth and Randle and Edwards really got going and we just couldn't quite overcome them, once we got down, but we controlled much of that game and up six or whatever it was, eight minutes to go. I liked where we were. We just couldn't finish, so the formula looks good. We'll have some adjustments to make, but, I like the matchup. I like what we're doing.

06:24 Steve, beyond his scoring, what about the way Jonathan played? It seemed like a couple times he cut to the basket off the ball to get passes and I know you talked about him figuring it out back in January. Do you feel like you saw that and how difficult is that given how little he's played recently?

06:41 Yeah, I mean, like I said, he's kept himself ready. He's done a great job of working on his conditioning, playing in the low minute games and it didn't play a whole lot in the Houston series, but he's clearly finding his groove and his rhythm now and just in time.

07:02 Steve, you mentioned their offense getting going in the second half. What impact does Draymond picking up the fourth foul and then the sixth foul have on that?

07:08 Yeah, that was huge. That was a really big deal, so it's part of the game, foul trouble, injuries, all that stuff, none of it matters. You have to find a way.

07:21 Did you notice them attacking you differently with him off?

07:23 I'm sorry?

07:24 Did you notice them attacking differently with him off the court?

07:26 No. No.

07:28 Steve, you mentioned earlier that you gotta manufacture more offense, but with Steph out, obviously you went a lineup that had three non-shooters and Brandin is struggling right now. Where do you find the offense from if Buddy's not making shots? Where does it come from?

07:46 Well, that's the trick. We've gotta put our best two-way lineups on the floor. I think we're gonna win the series with defense. We're not gonna beat them in a skill game. We have to get stops to win the series. Without Steph, obviously, we're a totally different team and so if we can, if get stops and run, create some offense off of our defense, that's part of the formula.

08:17 Julius Randle has taken a very different role in this series versus past series and past games. He's taking a lot more ball-handling and a lot more passing. I think he's averaged, 11 assists the last two games. How are you planning on adjusting to make sure that his passing impact doesn't?

08:33 Well, we'll watch the tape tomorrow and figure it out and then we won't tell you, so we'll save that for Monday.

—

00:00 JONATHAN KUMINGA, POSTGAME G3-MIN-GSW: (Looks at Gatorade bottle) What the hell is this?

00:02 Jonathan, a couple nights ago you mentioned that you got your confidence back. Was this a sign of — did you just feel like you had it from the beginning in this one?

00:12 Can you repeat the question, please? Sorry.

00:14 I said, a couple nights ago you mentioned that you got your confidence back. Was this just an extension of that? Did you feel good from the beginning in this game?

00:23 Oh, yeah. I was. I feel like I was just ready. Feeling much better, just my body, since I got hurt. That confidence and just staying ready.

00:40 Jonathan, can you talk about the challenge of playing this many minutes and having this kind of production and getting that rhythm when you haven't been able to establish a rhythm, obviously, being sort of in and out of the rotation?

00:55 It's not easy. It's very tough. I think the only thing that kept me ready is just watching how we play, working out, getting better every other day and just watching film and I think that was the only preparation.

01:14 You guys are playing a different style of offense out of necessity without Steph. In what ways does that kind of benefit your game?

01:30 It don't really matter. It don't really matter. I think the most important is just to go out there and perform no matter whatever's going on. It don't matter if Steph is out there. Whenever he's come back, I don't know when, but all that matters is just go out there and just give it all you got. I think that's the most important.

01:54 And how do you feel like you and Jimmy kind of complemented each other on the court tonight?

02:00 I think I did okay just being around him, just playing off with him, just knowing what he wants and just talking to him more within the game going. I've been watching everyone just moving around him, how everyone is playing around him and it was just a matter of time of just me going out there. I think this is the most I ever played with Jimmy, so we all basketball players. We all just you learn as you watch and I feel like just me watching and learning every other day, it makes sense. Playing around him makes — it's kind of actually easier. It's just the same way as Steph in a different way. You gotta know how to play with Steph and you gotta know how to play with Jimmy. They're two different people that they attract so much attention that you just gotta be alert when they got the ball.

03:01 JK, I'm not sure if you remember the moment that I'm talking about, but one of your first shots towards the end of the first quarter was an and-one and you kind of laid on the floor and embraced the crowd as they embraced you back. Did you kind of feel like fuel off of that fire? Did that kind of get you going?

03:18 I think that got me going and I think just things like that, trying to involve the crowd and it just give us this type of boost where we feed off that type of energy. And it was just one of those moments where it was like I'm here, let's just get this rolling.

03:40 And then just a career playoff high for you tonight, just given the timing of it, all of the ups and the downs, just how good did it feel to get this tonight?

03:49 It would've have felt great if we won this game. It's just part of the journey, but I'm just I'm glad things went well, but it doesn't feel well when you don't get the win, you know?

04:06 How does your ankle feel? You mentioned a little bit earlier it feels good.

04:12 I was just a little nervous on one play and I missed a layup that I don't usually miss. It was against Conley, the up-and-under because I was nervous landing, but just throughout the game, throughout all this time it feel better.

04:30 How difficult has it been for you to get back your touch and rhythm and some of the stuff you had in January prior to the injury?

04:41 It's not easy, especially when you don't get too many opportunity to be out there. I could do all that in my workouts and stuff like that, but if you're not in a game it's a different atmosphere, so just within the time it keep getting better. Like I say, just keep gaining my confidence back, you know? Yeah.

05:02 You talked about a journey. What has this journey been like the last couple months since you hurt your ankle? How have you coped with it? You've talked to Looney or other teammates? How have you sort of — ?

05:14 I just stay connected to my teammates as much as I can, Loon, Draymond and pretty much all of them, just staying connected as much as I can, yeah.

05:31 And Steve mentioned that you've been playing in some of the practice games with the other guys who don't play a lot during the games. What have you learned from that or have you sort of let out some frustration? Have you — how has that helped you prepare for what happened tonight?

05:46 Those guys help me staying ready and we go out there, we actually play hard, like our lives are on the line. And not just me, pretty much everyone that participate in those games. And we all play to just stay ready, no matter who got a chance to play, we don't have a chance to play, we all go out there and play hard, hoping that anything could happen and we could be thrown out there and just get a chance to go out there and play. And I think that's kinda been a thing that we do every other day when we're not playing. When you're playing low minutes, you stay ready.

06:26 Do you go to practice days or is it after?

06:29 Practice days, before practice, like day off, like tomorrow. Let's say instead if I didn't play today, I'll be here playing. I think some of the guys just play right after the game, so just things like that. Keep everybody ready.

06:44 You gonna play tomorrow?

06:47 I mean, I could. I mean, I'm still young. It don't matter.

06:53 Hey, Anthony (Edwards) was asked what got him going, was it the Looney slam? But he said it was actually when you slammed on him. I was just wondering your thoughts about that and how you can keep him down and keep up that ferocity.

07:08 Oh, I didn't even think about that at all. I just, it was just a moment it was just a moment in the game, you know? Especially getting a pass from Jimmy trying to get the crowd going, you know? But I didn't know that's what got him going.

07:25 Jonathan, you've had big games in the regular season, but what does it mean to you to be able to have this kind of game in the playoffs on this kind of stage?

07:37 I just look at it as just another day of getting better, of trying to help a team win. I know it's the playoff and stuff like that. Every game counts and I just try I just try to come in and win every other day, no matter what, but--

07:58 Did you also notice the other night when I think you dunked and Lacob got up and was super excited, pumping his fist, and tonight he did it again after one of your plays that you scored?

08:08 Who?

08:09 Like, Joe Lacob. He pumped his fist. Do you ever notice him? And what does it mean like that the owner's one of your biggest fans?

08:15 I don't pay attention to that. I think it's crazy anytime I'm out there playing, I don't know if that's how everybody look at it. It's like I don't even see the crowd. I only see my teammates and our coaches. I really — sometimes I don't even be knowing which side of the floor I'm on 'cause I'm just so locked on trying to do the right things. When the play stops, that's when it's like, "Oh, everything is here." But when we're playing, I feel like I'm just so lucky that I don't pay attention to anyone sitting on the side by my teammates the other team and coaches.

08:55 How do you look at the way you played defense? It looked like you were very engaged on Edwards and he obviously scored a bunch later in the game, but did you feel like you held your own against him?

09:06 I think I did my best. I'm not gonna stop every other action, but I kind of did. What I do I think I did okay. I just gotta go back and watch film and and keep learning on how he plays on things he does, you know? But that's what they throw us out there for me and Gary to just go out there and we're not gonna get all the stuff, so it's just make their life harder.

09:37 Obviously, there were some concerns about you and Jimmy in the lineup together during the regular season, but Steve said pregame that he thinks it's been working lately, partly because Steph being out. Do you think that's solely what it is or do you think it's something else like comfortability, just getting more reps together?

09:54 I would say just getting more reps together. Like I said all the amount of time I've been out, watching film even when I don't gotta play, I watch films they show me. If the ball go through Steph and Jimmy, this how you gotta play, this is how you gotta play off of them. I still watch those film no matter if I'm playing or I'm not playing. If you show me the films, this how you gotta do it when you play with these people. And I think the more we were on the floor together as much as we have been, now you start learning this, how you play this, how you should move around here and the more and more we out there together, the more it gets easier.

10:37 You feel okay about this, down 2-1? But this was a game where a lot of guys played pretty well, even though it's a loss. Do you feel like this — do you still have some control of this series or any desperation?

10:53 I mean, I feel good about where we at. We gonna come here, we going to practice, we gonna watch film, we gonna learn, we gonna see what we need to correct and we gonna come back and compete and get another win. And like I said, we all know when Steph coming back that's gonna be another guy that's gonna be back, whenever he get back, but with the guy that we have right now, I think we could do something special here.

—

00:00 Fire away. Who's first?

00:07 Buddy, eventually some threes started falling. You helped out in that department in the second half, but what were the challenges in that first half when you guys went 0-for-5 from three? It is like they weren't — the opportunities to take a three weren't even coming as well.

00:18 BUDDY HIELD, POSTGAME G3-MIN-GSW: Yeah, we do. We were — I mean, you look in the first two games, before that, we was not able to get threes up. The only person probably got threes up was probably Steph and when Steph is not out there, the way they're gravitating to me, just gotta find a way to get some up. You don't wanna be forceful out there and take the energy of the team and they don't wanna take bad shots, usually. Everybody would say you gotta get your threes up, but you gotta stick to the energy of the game and flow the game. I think the flow of the game let us have a two-point lead coming into halftime, but yeah, but I think that as the pace picked up and the stakes starting to come closer, I was able to get free and just weathered the storm. And I got up seven, the first half made four, so hopefully if I only made two more we might have had a chance to win the game.

01:11 Do you see anything right now — sorry, if I could follow up — do you see anything right now hampering Podz's shots or is he just, with the spacing different, do you think that's impacting him?

01:21 Nah, I mean, to be honest, BP's one of the guys that's freelancing out there. They're letting him play basketball, but all in all, he's a second year guy and first playoff experience, he's gonna go through ups and downs, but fun challenge. And of course he's gonna get hard on himself. He's a hard worker. Every time I come to the gym, he's always here working hard and, like I just told him after the game, next shot, best shot. He can't worry about it. Just live in the now. And BP's gonna come around for us and you just gotta trust it.

01:54 How would you describe the way Kuminga played tonight after what he's been through last month?

01:57 Elite. Elite, elite. This is the Jonathan we missed. Jonathan, we know what he's capable of. I'm so happy for him to see him just be aggressive and play basketball without second guessing himself. And like he said in the last interview he got, he feel like he got his confidence back and his feet are under him and I think he did a great job tonight.

02:20 Following up on that, you're one of the guys who we know has brought joy to this team, both on and off the court. Is there any message that you've been telling JK, kind of behind-the-scenes to just keep his confidence up?

02:31 It's not only me, it's everybody. Just opportunity, man. When it comes, he's the guy that works so hard. I don't know if anybody works hard as JK. He's always in the gym. He comes in, prepares himself and he's working his butt off and he stay ready. He's a true professional and that's why he's helping this type of game here. And I hope that everybody's watching and seeing what he's capable of.

02:55 You're known to talk to Jimmy some, have a pulse on him. What did you think, just being around him in this game, where was his — did he have a super-high energy level even before the game?

03:06 Who, Jimmy? Yeah. Oh, Jimmy was good. He's coming in and being a pro. He had 33 tonight. He willed us all the game. He willed us all game and now we gonna even do it again for Game 4. He's doing all he can do, man, and we just gotta be ready to buckle down and give him some more support. Myself, everybody, BP is locking in and the role players need to help Jimmy out some more so that we can tie this up and go back to Minnesota.

03:43 Steve's talked a lot about having the formula with Steph and now it has to change. Do you think you had a new formula tonight? Do you think this can carry over to the next game?

03:54 The game, we had the game in front of us. I don't know, was it the six-minute mark? We were up by, what, three or four, five maybe? And we let it get away from us. We just gotta be able to protect the basketball and just and weather the storm and just get the ball to Jimmy and let him figure it out for us.

04:11 How has it been with Steph supporting the team off the court and do you ever feel kind of this pressure to cover on his behalf? What does that look like?

04:19 Nobody would even cover Steph Curry, what he does. There's no pressure. If you coming in thinking it's press — you gotta like follow his role or you're crazy because he does so much for his team. Trust me, everybody would like to do it, but he's touched by an angel. He's touched by God. He’s blessed. But he's Steph Curry, man. He's always supportive, always there, talking to the guys. I'm always asking questions. How can I — what'd you see on this play? How can I get open and just reading stuff and I think that just talking on the second half and halftime, I was able to get some shots off early in the second half and as a game as a team, so just reading the defense man, they're like — I'm getting the Steph Rules right now. And I told him I see, I see what you go through. Yeah. So, but, it's fun. That's why's it's a seven-game series. It's always a challenge and you gotta overcome these challenges. This is the best thing about this. We get Mother's Day tomorrow and then after that, Monday to show the world what we can do.

05:15 Thank you.

05:16 Buddy, how does the margin for error change defensively when Draymond's not on the floor?

05:21 Yeah, man, that's a tough call. It's a tough call, man. I feel like everything didn't go our way tonight that we thought would go our way. There's an offensive foul, like, I mean, like, I just don't understand the rules, you know? And Draymond is All-World defensive player and the guy put your forearm on his chest. I've seen when guys — referee challenge it, it went automatic. They didn't take that long. I feel like they were like debating it too long on the challenge and reviewing it and it was going over time and they're trying to figure out what's the right call. And I just know that everything just didn't went our way today. And that's how the game is, though. We don't want no excuses. We don't want anybody to feel sorry for us, but nothing went his way today, picking up a foul against McDaniels and hand is a part of the ball, so. But we didn't get calls where we supposed to get. Jimmy got fouled a couple times at the rim, Naz Reid on his back. He had five fouls. So it is what it is, man. And this is the fun part about it. Just gotta figure it out and we're down 2-1. We just gotta weather the storm.

06:24 When you talk about getting the Steph Rules right now, what is that like? I know you see him go through it, but what is it like to go through it yourself? How difficult is that?

06:36 It's tough, but it is a challenge and you gotta be patient, man. And like a shooter, you're never patient. You always trying to outgun somebody, always trying to find the best shot possible, but I know in the playoffs you gotta find the best shot possible. Sometimes you might take some crazy ones, but sometimes you might make that crazy ones, but you need to find that spark to get your team going. And everybody knows that. I think you can feel it in the crowd, like, knows that, like, we need to get threes up to be able to sustain and open up this gap. But, man, it's a fun challenge every day, you know? And they're a tough defensive group and I just can't wait for Monday.

07:09 When you say weather the storm, do you take things out of this game that make you feel optimistic about Monday?

07:15 Yeah. You take things. It's part of the series, you learn. How can you adjust? They won two in a row. I feel like this is the game we should have won tonight, but we didn't win it. But you just gotta go to the drawing board and figure out what's — in that spurt where we lost it, you know? And how we can learn and go from there.

07:36 They always say Anthony edwards is an elite talent, but what more can be done to try to slow him down, especially in the late going here?

07:42 He's gonna get a lot of volume of shots up. What, he was 13-for-28, as expected, 5-for-14 from three. I mean, he did his thing. We just gotta try to limit him to less more touches (inaudible) don't give him the easy ones. He's getting a couple of loose ball plays, didn't went our way. He got a couple threes off, a couple stick hands and just keep him going from going downhill, try to stand in front of him as much as we can.

08:11 From Game 7 hero to taking Game 1 on the road and then two straight losses, how do you deal with the kind of back-and-forth, as far as like from insane happiness to a little bit of a disappointment? How do you deal with that?

08:25 I mean, this is the NBA, man. You can't get too high, can't get too low. You enjoy it when you can, but it is on to next. Like you said, Game 7's like you win that, you couldn't even enjoy it because we were trying to watch film on Minnesota and next one day off, and then after the next game playing, and then now we won that one. But you can't get too happy, gotta be complacent. This was like, we haven't won anything. We move to the next round, but nothing has (inaudible). Our goal is to win a championship and our goal is to try to weather the storm as we can when we get 30 back 'cause we know how elite we are with him. But I think we — I know we can beat these guys without him, too. So, ready for Monday. Get your drawing board and let's get it.

09:05 Thank you.

09:06 Great. Thank you.

09:07 Thank you. Thank you. Y'all can have y'all Gatorades back.

—

00:00 Jimmy, you guys had a five-point lead kind of early in the fourth quarter and kind of went bad from there. What did you see happening at the close of the game?

00:14 JIMMY BUTLER, POSTGAME G3-MIN-GSW: We probably just didn't get the shots that we wanted to get and turned the ball over a few times, couldn't get back, didn't contest shots, didn't take the three out the game, and then that was it.

00:28 Jimmy, how did the game change when Draymond picked up his fourth and then his sixth foul?

00:34 I mean, obviously he's one of the top defenders in the world, for sure, the best defender on this squad and when he's out, it's just different. You don't got nobody back to this quarterback in the way that he does it, that can switch everything, that can get every loose ball and that can rebound, but even whenever he does go out, we still gotta be better.

00:56 Steve talked about the importance of the defense overall without Steph on the floor. What did you just think of the overall performance?

01:03 I think we were better than our last game. We still didn't get as many loose balls and 50-50 balls as we talked about getting, but overall, we did get better. Just wasn't good enough.

01:16 Obviously, a much different team without Steph. What is the main difference and how close do you think you guys are to being really in sync without Steph

01:26 Oh, I mean, we're all right. I think we — obviously with Steph out there, he demands two to three bodies when he is out there on the floor. When he's not, there's just no room for error. You can't make mistakes. You can't turn the ball over, you can't get back, all of those things. And then you gotta take the right shots. You gotta move the ball the right way because he's the one individual, for sure, on this team and maybe in the league that can make sure you're never out of any game so, like I said, we just gotta be better and limit our mistakes.

02:03 Jimmy, what do you take out of this game going into Game 4? Are there encouraging things that you take out of it?

02:08 Yeah, yeah, of course. That we can compete without Steph. We're still as confident as ever. We gonna go back to the film, to the drawing boards and figure it out, come back in here on Monday and get this thing to 2-2.

02:24 Jimmy, you took 26 shots, obviously more aggressive taking them. Was that just a mindset you had in this one that you're gonna have to put up a volume of shots and how did you think your night went?

02:36 I mean, I don't care how many shots I shoot. I don't care how many points I score. If it's not towards winning, none of that ever matters, so 26 shots, 36 shots. Next time, it has to be in a win.

02:51 43 minutes, I believe. Are you feeling 43 minutes?

02:57 Yeah, for sure. I wish I could have played like 48, though, back in my Chicago days. Whatever the squad needs for me to do, I gotta be able to do it. I train to be able to play a large amount of minutes and do it in a effective way, but I got all the trust in Steve and the coaching staff and everybody else to make sure that I'm gonna be ready, so 43 it is, 43 we got.

03:25 How much of this is — do you have to take Steph out of your mind as far as just thinking about this series without him or how much of you is thinking get a win to make sure we could try to get him back.

03:36 It's always get a win. If we don't win, we damn sure don't gotta worry about getting Steph back this year, so we gotta put our big boy pants on and go out there and compete at a high level and get this one on Monday and then we can worry about the next one after that, but get some rest, recover. Dominoes, coffee, kids.

04:01 Jimmy, after the last game you said you and JK can thrive together and tonight you guys did just that. What'd you like from him tonight and his aggression?

04:10 Everything. Shooting the ball when he's open, attacking into the free throw line, it's a beautiful sight to see, but like I tell everybody, me and him can thrive together. I know how to space the floor. I can tell him, "Hey, when I have the ball, you go here and you do this." And we talk, we listen to one another and then he has an incredible game like tonight. And he did so many good things out there on the floor and I know that he's gonna be a huge part in us winning on Monday.

04:41 Jimmy, your role tonight was very similar to what your role was in the past, especially those Miami teams. How has your mindset and a couple more years, how has that changed from there to here?

04:53 It hasn't changed. I know who I am as a player and I know what's needed of me on any given night, so to speak. And it could change, depending on who's in and out of the lineup, but it doesn't matter what part of my career I was in, if it doesn't go towards winning, then it's all a waste, so whether I'm the player now or who I was X amount of years ago, we didn't win tonight, so none of that ever matters.

05:29 Jimmy, what do you expect the desperation and the urgency to feel like on Monday when you guys are back on the floor here?

05:34 We straight. i'm not gonna tell my guys to be desperate or it's any more urgent than anything. You go out there and you play basketball and you hoop and you leave all the noise up to myself, to Dray, to Steph and to the coaching staff. You go out there and you do exactly what you're doing. You're doing great. The guys know that.

05:56 Jimmy, how would you describe the challenges of scoring against a team like Minnesota with some of many long athletic guys in the way?

06:04 Yeah. Scoring's never the problem, I think 97 can win in the playoffs. It's us on the other end. We gotta stop them from scoring. We gotta not turn the ball over, we gotta get back. I definitely think that we can score with the best of them, but we gotta be able to guard with the best of them, as well.

06:25 Thank you.

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06:28 Alright here with the head coach Steve Kerr. A tough Game 3 loss. I noticed in the first and second quarters, you close the quarters strong and then in the fourth it's nip and tuck. What was the key sequence in your mind, down in the fourth?

06:37 STEVE KERR: I thought there was a swing where Jimmy had a shot at the rim. I thought he got fouled, but no call and then they got an offensive rebound at the other end and Reid made a corner three. That felt like the key momentum shift in the fourth where we lost our control of the game. I thought their offensive rebounding was really important. They scored 26 points off 13 offensive boards and I thought that was the difference in the game, overall.

07:04 Well, you guys didn't make a three in the first half, but then found some rhythm in the third quarter, specifically, I think 6-of-11. What was the key to kind of getting loose there in the third?

07:13 The game is gonna have some swings and shifts and so first half we had some decent looks, didn't make it anything, but second half the game opened up a little bit, so there's always gonna be kind of ebbs and flows with three-point shooting,

07:30 Obviously, offensively you're taking Butler and Kuminga, you said. I heard you say Kuminga had the game of his life. Just talk about those two guys and what they provided offensively for you.

07:38 They were both awesome. Jimmy really controlled the game and then we clearly needed, J K's points and he attacked, he knocked down shots, made some really good cuts on the interior and got some buckets to the hoop, so both guys play great. We were right there. We just gotta bounce back on Monday.

08:00 And what kind of energy and desperation do you expect your team to come out with on Monday?

08:03 Oh, we'll have plenty of that. I'm not worried about that. Our guys are connected. They're competitors and we'll bring it on Monday.

08:09 Alright. Thank you so much for your time, Steve.

08:10 Thanks a lot.

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00:00 MIKE CONLEY, POSTGAME G3-MIN-GSW: Can I wear your sunglasses? You wanna wear 'em?

00:16 Julius, just how did you kind of find the offensive rhythm and flow in the fourth quarter? That seemed like so tough for the group, in general, through three quarters there.

00:30 JULIUS RANDLE: I think we just stayed solid, to be honest. I mean, we've been through so many of these games throughout the year and we lost so many in the beginning of the year, trying to find our identity and how we want to play. So, I mean, I looked at the scoreboard going into the fourth quarter. I think we were down four, so in my mind I was just telling myself, take it a possession at a time, just be solid, get some stops, and then on the offensive end, just execute. It's no different than what we've done to finish this year, also.

01:01 And Coach Finch said that that dunk, that poster dunk, got you going. What'd you see on that dunk? And then also how did that get you going into the game. It was an extremely aggressive second half, too

01:11 ANTHONY EDWARDS: The poster dunk by me?

01:13 Yeah. On Kevon Looney.

01:14 Nah, that I feel like when Kuminga dunked on me, that got me going, more so than anything.

01:21 Also, what did you, see from Julius? Triple-double, second Timberwolves player in history behind KG. What'd you see from him tonight?

01:28 He was incredible, man, finding everybody on cuts, finding the open guy, time after time, just pushing the pace. And that's what we ask from him and he been doing it at a high level, so we can't ask for nothing better, man, so he been making the game a lot easier for me, so I appreciate having him.

01:49 And you said the Kuminga dunk got you going, but what do you have to do usually when maybe the night is not going how you want it to go, to get yourself going and you ended up finishing the way that you did?

02:03 Just trust the work, man. I feel like one thing I never lack is confidence, so if I got that, I'll be all right.

02:14 Julius, offensively, it seemed like you got going in a handful of different ways in this game. At the beginning, they were kind of giving you the three there. You found different paths through that. What's that kind of process look like for you over the course of the game, reading what the defense has given you?

02:32 I feel like I just got a lot of different tools, you know what I mean? So it's just really about using my mind and taking what the defense gives me. I talk to C. Hines all the time and he tells me I can do everything, so for me it's just about taking, like I said, taking what the defense gives me. If it's a three, take it, trust my work, but also being able to read what's going on out there. They put Kevon Looney at the 5, so I wanted to get in actions with Mike (Conley) in the pick-and-roll or if they put Draymond on me, you know what I mean? Being a screener, putting him in actions as well, so it's really just using my mind, if I get a mismatch getting to my operating areas and attacking and if they don't double-team me, score. If they double-team me, find my guys.

03:20 Mike, you guys have a number of clutch wins in the postseason here. Just what, from your vantage point, what comfort level has this team found in those areas and maybe that's been a common denominator through these two series so far?

03:35 I think we're just more confident now than we have been in the past. We saw it tonight being down a couple points, late in games and we don't seem to panic. We tend to kind of double down on what we do defensively. Offensively we got a good rhythm. After now getting more chemistry with these guys and Julius, we now know who and where to go to and how to get guys involved late and get easy opportunities for ourselves, so we just continue to do that and I think we'll be fine.

04:07 And Jaden hit a three to double your lead from three to six, about three minutes to go. Julius found him, but you found Julius. How did you kind of read the floor there and what kind of satisfaction or pride or whatever do you process from a hockey assist?

04:25 It's just like a assist to me. At the end of the day, as long as one of us scored with a Timberwolves thing across our chest, I don't care what it is, I don't care if I pass it or not. Yeah, it don't really matter, but just reading the floor, I think. I think Julius set a screen for me and I was looking for my shot, but they kept two people on me. Then I saw Julius on the pop and then he made a great read of Jaden in the corner and Jaden knocked it down and Jaden was tremendous all night. He was 3-for-4 from three. I wish we coulda got him a couple more looks, but that was just the flow of the game, but he came through big-time for us.

04:56 Mike, we see with Julius's offense, he's able to get you guys a lot of good looks, but on the other end, it seems like the way he —when he's rolling, it controls pace so much. How much does that help slow down a team like Golden State who's trying to push at all times?

05:09 It helps a lot. His physicality, his demeanor, the way that he can control the pace, control the game on both ends of the floor kind of gives us some control. It gives us our ability to kind of settle into who we want to be, offensively, defensively. I mean, we can get sporadic at times, but having a guy that you can just get a ball to and post him up or just slow the game down, allow us to cut off of him and him make plays for everybody and make the game easy, it helps a lot. And his ability on defense to use his size and switch and be switchable and talking loud, I think that all helps us be who we wanna be.

05:48 Mike, you got a very short rest at the end of the fourth and come right back in. What were you trying to do defensively in those moments to get the stops that you needed, just to close this out?

06:00 Really, just run 'em off the three-point line. They want to get to Buddy, get him good looks at that three-point line. And then end of games, all bets are off. You can be as physical as you want. You just gotta play one-on-one defense. You gotta man up and that's what we all did the final couple of possessions of the game. And that's all we were trying to do, trying to end the possession with a rebound and go the other way.

06:26 Mike, it may have been —it seems like Ant and Julius had 52 of the 82 shots. Is that a function of playoff basketball? Is that what they were giving you or, I mean —?

06:42 They only had 52?

06:45 We trying to get 'em 60, 70, bro. We need —nah, it's a function of how our team is gonna flow, man. We need those guys to be aggressive. We want them to take the shots. We want them to take them, especially if they're good, in rhythm, in the flow of the game and they're doing the right things, being aggressive, getting to the rim. We don't mind that. We know we're gonna get our shots through the flow of the game on other stuff, so need these guys to be more aggressive.

07:12 Mike, you can just--

07:13 Jimmy Butler took 44. Jimmy and Kuminga took 44 out of 81. Is that bad offense?

07:19 Huh?

07:19 They said--

07:20 Yeah, shit.

07:21 Kuminga and Jimmy took 44 of the 81 shots. Is that bad basketball?

07:25 Is that bad basketball?

07:27 Man.

07:27 I didn't say it was bad. I was saying it's playoff basketball.

07:30 Yeah. Play off basketball. The best players shoot the ball. Hell, yeah.

07:36 Mike, you can see with what they're doing defensively, they're definitely executing their plan for 48 minutes and making it difficult. How much of a mental grind is that for you guys to kind of continue to keep pushing when they are taking away Ant's off-the-bounce threes and stuff like that, the things you guys like to get to for 48 minutes, just finding different answers and pushing through, even with that?

07:55 That's what a championship team does. They have that DNA where they can change different lineups, throw different guys in play, different coverages, play zone. And those are all things we have to adjust to in the game. And just the way we have done it throughout the first couple games has been spectacular on just being able to dissect and know when to find guys in different situations and Ant being patient, not trying to go get it right away, getting off the ball. Julius, the same way, letting other guys kind of get shots and get in rhythm in different fashions of the game. It allows the game kind of open up at different points for them.

08:35 Ant, has it been a bit of a learning curve, I guess, figuring out other ways to get your threes up? Because obviously you got 14 tonight, but they really don't want you getting it off the bounce.

08:42 Yeah, for sure. It's kind of crazy 'cause teams usually don't want me to get to the hole, but it's like now they don't want me to shoot threes, step-back threes, so just trying to find that balance, man. And like Mike say, not being thirsty all the time, setting screens, finding my teammates, getting it through actions. And I think just playing off the ball is better for me, playing versus this team 'cause everybody is locked in on the game plan. They got a pretty good group of guys that's locked in on the game plan. Like he said, there's a championship DNA team, so it don't make too many game plan mistakes.

09:14 And how would you describe what opened up for you in the second half? I think you had eight points in the first half, 28 in the second half. Was it more like you finding a rhythm or you finding how they were guarding you?

09:26 Yeah, just Finchy put me in great positions, realizing less ball screens 'cause all they gonna do is probably trap it and whoever's setting the screen, his man gonna be super-high where I gotta pass the ball and then just playing off of Ju. I think that was another thing and then our V-2 action, back-screening for Mike, trying to get a worse defender on me and, yeah, Ju finding me on cuts and just giving me easy looks and then just getting into a rhythm.

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